Toggle actuated wrench with hydraulic control



Nov. 8, 1949 G. STECKELBERG 2,487,281

TOGGLE ACTUATED'WRENCH WITH HYDRAULIC CONTROL File'd Sept. 4, 1947 IN VEN TOR.

Glenn Steclrelberg Patented Nov. 8, 1949 goGGLE ACTUATED WRENCH 'WITHHYDRAULIC CONTROL GlennSteckelberg, Chamberlain, S. Dak.

Application September 4, 1947, Serial No. 772,055,

3 Claims.

known wrenches of this type hadto be adjusted for locking the work withhands removed by means of manipulating a screw or' the like.

One object of thegpresent invention is the provision of a device of thecharacter described which is locked automatically, by means of a valvecon-trolled fluid pump; so'that no manipulationof a screw orthe likewill be necessary.

' Another object of the-presentinvention is the provision of a device ofthe character described which makes it possible torobtain a variation ofthe pressure of the gripping jaws on the work, so that "this tool'can"be'used for different types of material and work.

Still another object of 'the present invention .isz'the provision of adevicev of the character described which is. comparatively light: invweight, and free from protruding parts suchras-lclumsy adjustment screwsor the like, so that this new and improved tool can be handled easilyand conveniently. g

further object of the present invention is the. provision of adeviceofthe character described which is simple in constructionand'i'nexpensive to manufacture, so that it can be sold at a veryreasonable price, but which is sturdy, durable, and well adapted towithstand the rough usage to which devices of this type frequently aresubjected.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully describedand pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may bemade in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred forms of the invention havebeen shown.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a fractional sectional view on the 2 line l-I of Figure 20fa preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation, fractionally in longitudinal section onthe line 22 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure2.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

In th drawing (Fig. 2") the numeral 1 denotes an entire wrench made inaccordance with the present invention, having gripping jaws 3"and'4which are secured to, or formed as units with, the members 2 and 5. Thelatter are pivoted to one another at 6, and a handle I is pivoted to themember 5 at 8. The member 2 is formed as 'a unit with the handle I3, anda link9 is pivoted to the other handle l at In and is extended through aslot l3 into the handle Hi. The rear portion of the handle l3 is formedpreferably by a longitudinal cylinder 29, which is secured to the handleI3' by means of welding or'the like, or formed as a unit therewith, andwhich is subdivided by a wall [8 into a cylindrical receptacle [4' and apump cylinder. In the latter is slidable a piston I1, whose piston rodi6 is extended through a stufiing box I5 and provided with a cross-headl2 that is pivoted to the link 9 at H.

The wall i8 is provided with a perforation '21 an'd with a radialbore l9which meets the perforation 21, and in which is slidable a valve 20'.The latter is held normally by a spri'ng 21 in such a position that theperforation 2! is open, as may be seen in- Fig. 2, the spring 2! beinginterposed between the head 22 and the outer, upper side of the cylinder29.

Within the receptacle Hi there is slidable a piston 24 and cup 25, and aspring 26 is interposed between these slidable parts and the head 28 ofthe cylindrical receptacle 29.

The handle I is provided with a leaf sprin 30 and with a threaded bolt3|, which is extended through the spring 30 and is provided with an ad-J'ustment nut 32. A fluid, such as oil or the like,

is contained in the cylinder 29 between the pistons I1 and 24.

When the handles 1 and I3 are spread apart, as shown in full lines inFig. 2, the valve 20 is being held open by the spring 2|. While thehandles are being moved from the position shown in full lines to thatshown in dash-and-dotted lines in Figure 2, the piston I! is moved bythe ward the head 28. When the handle 1 has reached the position shownin dash-and-dotted lines in Fig. 2, the spring 30 will depress the valve20, so that no fluid can pass through the perforation 21. According tothe adjustment of the spring 30, by means of the parts 3| and 32, thespring 30 will depress the valve 20 sooner or later, so that thepressure of the jaws 3 and 4 on the work can be varied by means of thisadjustment of the spring 30. Once the perforation 21 is closed by thevalve 20, the parts 5, l, 9, l6 and I! cannot move any longer, so thatthe jaws 3 and 4 are locked to the work. In order to release the work,one lifts the spring 30, so that the valve 20 will open the perforation21; then the spring 26 will press the piston 24 toward the wall [8 andthe fluid will pass through the perforation El, so that the piston I!will move away from the wall l8, thus causing an opening of the jaws 3and 4.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and differentembodiments of the invention could be made without departing from thescope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the abovedescription or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as amatter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination, in a wrench which consists of a pair of handles andtwo gripping jaws working on a pivot and being adapted to be closed uponpressing the handles together, of a piston pump mounted within one ofsaid handles and having its piston linked to the other handle, with anormally open valve controlling the passage of the fluid from said pumpto a cylindrical receptacle, and an adjustable leaf spring beingprovided at said last mentioned handle and adapted for closing the valvewhen said handles have been 'moved relative to one another into aposition in which the gripping jaws are closed, a spring biased pistonbeing con- I tained within said cylindrical receptacle for forcing thefluid back into the pump after said valve has been re-opened.

2. In a wrench which consists of a pair of handles and two gripping jawsworking on a pivot and being adapted to be closed upon pressing thehandles together, a longitudinal cylinder being secured to and formed asthe rear portion of one of said handles and being subdivided by aperforated wall into a pump cylinder portion and a cylindricalreceptacle, a pump piston movable within the pump cylinder portion beinglinked to the other handle, a valveextended into said longitudinalcylinder and into said wall being normally open and adapted for closingtemporarily the perforation in said wall, an adjustable leaf springbeing provided at said last mentioned handle and adapted for closing thevalve when said handles have been moved relative to one another into aposition in which the gripping jaws are closed, and a spring biasedpiston being contained within said cylindrical receptacle for forcingthe fluid back into the pump after said valve has been re-opened.

3. In a wrench which consists of a pair of handles and two gripping jawsworking on a pivot and being adapted to be closed upon pressing thehandles together, a longitudinal cylinder being secured to and formed asthe rear portion of one of said handles and being subdivided into a pumpcylinder portion and a cylindrical receptacle by means of a wall whichis provided with a perforation and a radial bore that meets saidperforation, a piston movable within the pump cylinder portion beinglinked to the other handle, a valve extended into said longitudinalcylinder and slidable in the radial bore of said wall being normallyheld by resilient means in such a position that it leaves open theperforation in said wall, adjustable resilient means being provided onthe last mentioned handle and adapted for pressing said valve into theperforation of said wall when said handles have been moved relative toone another into a position in which the gripping jaws are closed, apiston being slidable within said cylindrical receptacle, and a springbeing interposed between said last mentioned piston and the outerextremity of the receptacle, said spring tending to press the pistontowards said wall.

GLENN STECKELBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 491,222 Pellet Feb. 7, 18931,271,365 Reynolds, Jr. July 2, 1918 1,837,645 Baash et al. Dec. 22,1931 2,341,489 Tornborg Feb. 8, 1944

